Revision as of 22:27, 5 June 2017

Contents

Introduction

The Xsight and Nevo model remotes are very advanced IR and RF remotes made by Universal Electronics Inc. (UEI), the maker of One-for-all (OFA) brand and supplier to many OEMs, cable and satellite systems. With original list prices of $150-$250 US, and current prices of around $20 on ebay, they are arguably the best value of any universal remote available today, very similar in form and function to certain Harmony remotes at a fraction of the price. It can control any consumer IR device in existence. Universal Electronics Device Codes Database is the largest and most comprehensive in the world.

Nevo C2 / Xsight Color - IR only

Nevo C3 / Xsight Touch - IR and RF

Advanced features include:

LCD display with up to 5 pages of 6 functions per page

Fully backlit

15-18 devices (18 devices for Touch, C2 and C3)

Rechargeable battery (Touch and C3 only)

RF with 6 IR blasters (Touch and C3 only)

Direct RF control of several home automation devices and HR20 series DirecTV receivers (Touch and C3 only)

Setup and Programming

Xsight and Nevo can be programmed entirely Remote Master. Device configuration can be done entirely on the remote itself. Activities, Macros and Favorites must be programmed from a PC. If your remote came with a CD, DO NOT install it. The EZ-RC website and software used to program these remotes no longer exists. If you are running Windows 8.1 or greater, also apply the Xsight Color patch (mirror copy), or the Xsight Touch patch (mirror copy).

Remote Master is an alternative to the now defunct EZ-RC website. To use it, download and install Remote Master. Then connect your remote and download from it.

If you are new to Remote Master, please read the tutorials and learn how to use it before you attempt to program your Xsight or Nevo with it. All JP1 remotes share much of the same functionality. But features unique to Xsight/Nevo are found here.

Here is the general work flow:

The first time you run RMIR, connect your remote and Download from it (and save the .rmir file, in case you want to restore it later)

Go to the JP1 file section and download the device upgrades you'd like to add. (Device model numbers usually don't need to match exactly since most models of a similar vintage within the same brand share most of the same codes).

In RMIR, go to the Devices tab, click New, Open, then browse to the device upgrade file you downloaded from the file section and arrange the functions as desired on the Layout and/or Buttons tabs (click Page+/- to access each page of the LCD screen). Assign icons as desired.

A Macro is simply a series of commands performed with a single button press. An Activity is a special kind of macro that also assigns groups of buttons to different devices, i.e., volume keys to a receiver, playback keys to a disc player, number keys to a cable box, etc. Activities are good for turning several devices on or off and selecting the appropriate inputs as well as assigning each group of keys to the appropriate devices. Macros are good for sending a series of commands to save button presses, i.e., if it takes several steps to toggle captions on your device, put all those steps in a macro and assign to a single button.

The Volume Lock settings on the General tab set the volume control device when a given device is selected. The volume device on the Activities tab takes precedence over this when a given activity is run.

Please post questions, bug reports and feature requests here. Development discussion should continue in the existing developer thread. If you are a beginner with RM and have general questions, please post those in a new thread or other existing threads if applicable.

Favorites and Icons

The Nevo and Xsight Touch and Color models have a favorites list feature. It consists of one master list, and several other custom lists which are a subset of the master list. Each favorite can have an icon (max 72x34, automatically scaled down if larger) which can be assigned in RMIR by double clicking the Icon checkbox. The best source for channel logo icons is iconharmony and there are more icons here.

Every individual function for every device can also have an icon. Devices and Activities can also have icons, but those are limited to a set of built-in icons.

Here is a dedicated icons thread with more info and links to other icon sources.

Win 8.1/10 Requirements

Xsight has issues maintaining a connection in Win 8.1/10, meaning the connection to the remote is immediately lost and RMIR can't fully download or upload. If this is the case, you'll get the error "write remote returned 0" in RMIR or the upload/download will appear to finish very quickly without error (a normal upload/download takes several seconds, possibly minutes). Thanks to user eXim82, there is a solution for Win 8.1 detailed here.

I have created a set of reg files you can simply double click to change the appropriate key to fix the issue (assuming you have privileges to access the registry). Links to the official patches from OneForAll are posted below in the References section. Or you can simply go straight to the following registry key (where 80xx is the PID for your model remote) and change EnhancedPowerManagementEnabled to 0. Change takes effect next time remote is plugged in.

Different Xsight and Nevo models have different PID's (8001, 8002, 8004, 8005, 8006, 8007, 8008, 8009 and 8011). But this key should get you close no matter what model since the VID is always the same (067E).

When you first plug in a remote with an older firmware, the key is "XSIGHT.". After the first upgrade attempt, a new key "Xsight" is created. You must make the above change to the new key and retry the upgrade (disconnect/reconnect, upgrade again).

Some Windows updates may reset this key, so the change may need to be applied again. If you have issues downloading/uploading, check the registry key first and set it back to 0.

Troubleshooting

If the remote won't learn, make sure you are aiming at the bottom of the Xsight/Nevo. The learning eye is not at the top of the remote like most other JP1 remotes.

If you can't remove the Assist buttons in your activities, then you need to update the firmware on your remote.

If your remote won't download, upload or stay connected in Windows 8/8.1/10, you need to perform the registry patch in the previous section.

FAQ

The 18 device Xsight Touch (URC-8603 or AARX18G) is identical to the Nevo C3, and the 15 device Color (URC-8602 or ARRX15G) is identical to the C2 except that the C2 has 18 devices. The Touch and Color are the same except that all Touch models are 18 device, add RF capability, rechargeable battery, charging base, slimmer/lighter design and touchscreen. The on-screen functions on the Color are accessed via buttons along the sides rather than direct touch. The URC models are OneForAll brand in Europe and the AARX are Acoustic Research brand in the US. C2 and C3 are Nevo brand worldwide. The first Xsight model was introduced around 2009 and discontinued around 2011.

There are two other similar, but more limited Xsight models, the 12 device Plus (URC-8620 or AARX12G) and 6 device Lite (URC-8610). These are physically smaller and have only a 3 line LCD where each function is accessed by using an up/down rocker switch to select.

The RF capable Xsight Touch and Nevo C3 require a base (with 6 included blasters) in order to be used in RF mode (ARRE433B or REX-433). Without the base, the remote can still be used in IR mode or in RF mode for DirecTV devices only.

What are some of the advantages of Remote Master?

EZ-RC website could be shut down at anytime by UEI (One-for-All) when they choose to no longer support the Xsight/Nevo line of remotes. (As of May 22, 2017, the EZ-RC site has been shut down).

EZ-RC is wizard based like Harmony, asking a series of questions whose answers program the remote automatically.

EZ-RC allows you to save one online configuration, and your remote must be connected to your PC in order to edit or view it.

Remote Master (RM or RMIR) is not wizard based. It gives you direct access to every aspect of the remote configuration.

Save/load/edit/create any number of devices or remote configurations off-line and edit them whether your remote is connected or not.

Load any of the thousands of devices in the JP1 file section.

Convert learns to new devices which results in perfect signals and uses less memory.

You can use tools like IRScrutinizer to analyze pronto hex codes and build your own devices from them in RM.

Runs on many platforms (PC/Mac/Linux) and does not require a browser.

Will work forever, regardless of what UEI does in the future.

How is Xsight different from other JP1 remotes?

Xsight has an LCD (controlled via touch or buttons depending on the model) for up to 30 additional functions per device or 72 favorites with custom icons. This is a major advantage as additional functions can be logically organized and clearly labeled. On a traditional JP1 remote, additional functions would have to be memorized or documented on a "cheat sheet" for reference.

Xsight includes a USB interface cable, so it is not necessary to buy or build a JP1 cable.

Xsight has no "keymoves" like other JP1 remotes since you can assign any function from any device to any button in the Device editor. This takes the place of keymoves.

Xsight does not and never will have an extender. This means no extender capabilities like toadtog or calling macros from within macros.

Xsight is activity based. This means the Xsight has a special class of macros that includes key group mapping for mixing the functions of different devices and handling channel lock and volume punch thru. However, Xsight activities differ from Harmony activities in that after the activity macro runs, the remote ends up in a specific device mode with certain key groups mapped to other devices as desired. In this sense, an Xsight activity is simply a macro plus key group mapping, not a mode of operation per se, like a Harmony activity would be.

Xsight Touch can natively control HR2x, H2x series DirecTV DVRs and receivers as well as many home automation devices directly via RF without needing an RF base or IR blasters, making it a truly universal RF remote

Xsight has guided, interactive device code setup on the remote. This means if you want to use Xsight without activities, to set up the remote, you simply look up the brands of your devices on the remote itself without having to look up any codes or connect to a computer.

Xsight favorites feature is greatly enhanced over other JP1 remotes. Rather than just a few favorites executed sequentially by a single button, Xsight has up to 72 directly accessible favorites on the LCD with custom full color icons and optionally grouped into several custom categories.

Xsight Touch has a rechargeable battery and charging base.

Xsight has a huge amount of memory. Rather than a few kilobytes, it has a few megabytes for devices, macros, learning and icons.

How does Xsight compare to similar Harmony remotes?

The Xsight Touch RF remote is very similar to the Harmony 900 and Xsight Color IR remote is very similar to the Harmony One, 650 and 700 in terms of button layout, ergonomics and features. Both are PC programmable, activity based, backlit, learning, have a step-wise help facility, and have favorites and icons. Like the 900, the Touch is RF and has a rechargeable battery and charging base. Like the 650, the Color is IR only and uses standard AA batteries. But you can use rechargeable AAs (Eneloop type batteries are highly recommend).

The biggest difference is that Xsight does NOT have power and input state tracking like Harmony. This means for TOADs (devices that have only power toggle and input cycling commands), Xsight cannot remember those states. In activity macros, devices could toggle off when it was intended for them to toggle on or go to the wrong input. But, if you are able to use discrete power and input commands, this doesn't matter. With discretes, the power and input states will always work correctly. This can also be an advantage in systems using HDMI-CEC control which normally interferes with Harmony state tracking.

Key advantages Xsight has over Harmony are:

6 functions per page

Hard Red/Green/Blue/Yellow buttons (Harmony One lacks these)

15 devices (18 devices for Touch, C2 and C3)

Native RF universal remote control for home automation and some DirecTV receivers

The latest firmware version is 1.3.32 for Xsight and 1.3.33 for Nevo (Home -> Settings -> -> About). The only way to update the firmware is via EZ-RC. You'll be prompted to update when you connect if your firmware is not the latest.

How can I factory reset my remote?

Go to 'Home'

Hit settings'

Scroll to the last page

Hit 'Reset' ONCE

Type '981'

Screen should change from 'Reset' to 'Factory Reset'

Press Factory Reset

Buying the Nevo

Nevo C2: You can buy the Nevo C2 on ebay (shipped worldwide from China) for under $25: (link)